Internal-combustion engine



C. C. WICKWIRE.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE- APPLICATION Hun MAY 12, 1916..

m I m 8 T 7 O0 5 6 w M E\ o 1 m. v m. in w (/0 w l w m WW MW Gttomags UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

CHARLES C. WICKWIRE, 0F CORTLAND, NEW YORK.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Application filed May 12,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. WICK- WIRE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cortland, in the county of Cortland and State of New York, have invented a certain. new and useful Improvement in Internal- Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines and particularly to engines operating on the two stroke cycle.

The object of the invention is to provide a better scavenging of the spent charge and a better feeding of combustible gas or vapor and air to the cylinder. To accomplish this I substitute for crank-case or other reciprocating pump compression, a rotary pump or blower. Preferably I make use of two blowers, one pumping air and the other gas or vapor through distinct ports into the engine cylinder. These admission ports and the exhaust port are controlled by the overtravel of the piston past them as is common in two' cycle engines. The blowers by maintaining an even sustained pressure give better scavenging and feeding than can be secured where the charge is forced in by an initially high, but quickly diminishing pressure. It also becomes possible to control the action of the engine by throttle valves placed between the blowers and the cylinder and operating to vary the quantity or quality of the charge or both.

In the accompanying drawings I illustrate, largely in diagram, an engine embodying the features of my invention.

Figure 1 is a vertical axial section of the engine and blowers showing the port arrangement;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section through the admission ports; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view within the cylinder, looking toward the admission ports.

In the drawings 11 is the crank shaft, 12 is the crank, 18 the fly wheel, 14 the crank case, 15 the cylinder, 16 the piston and 17 the connecting rod of a gas, engine. The exhaust port is indicated at 18 and the spark plug at 19. All these parts are of usual construction. The cylinder is shown as provided with the usual water jacket, and the use of ordinary cooling and ignition systems is contemplated, though neither is illustrated.

The crank shaft 11 extends beyond the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1920. 1916. Serial No. 97,135.

crank case 14 and passes through a fan casing 20 formed with two chambers 21 and 22 whlch may be of volute or of any other of the various forms commonly used in rotary blowers for impeller casings. The chamber 21 has a centrally entering suction passage 23 and peripheral discharge passage 24; and the chamber 22 has similar suction and discharge passages 25 and 26. A vaned impeller 27 is fast on shaft 11 in chamber 21 and a similar vaned impeller 28 is fast on the same shaft in chamber 22.

The discharge passages 24 and 26 lead by means of a manifold 29 to two sets of ports 80 and 31 in cylinder 15, the ports 30 alternating with the ports 31, so that the gas or vapor delivered by impeller 27 does not mix with the air delivered by impeller 28 until the two are in the cylinder.

It will be seen by reference to Figs. 2 and 3 that the gas ports 30 are between or in alternation with air ports 81, all opening into the cylinder side by side and at a common level. From this arrangement it follows that there will be an intimate commingling of the air and gas as the two enter the cylinder, because a series of relatively thin streams are causedto flow in immediate contact, and diffusion is hence rapid and complete, resulting in a very perfect mixture.

As shown in Fig. 1, the top of the piston 16 is formed with an upwardly curving face, which stands directly in front of the inlet .ports 30, 31 when the ports are uncovered by descent of the piston. This curved face serves to deflect the mingling gas and air upward, and to cause them to flow to the top of the cylinder on the entering side, and thence downward at the opposite side to the exhaust port 18. In this way the entire cylinder is swept by the inrushing mixture. Just as said mixture reaches the outlet port the several ports are closed by the rise of the piston, and compression of the charge is effected by the movement of the piston until it reaches sparking position, when the charge is exploded and the effective stroke takes place. As the vapor or gas and air enter at the same side of the cylinder and move together toward the exhaust port at the opposite side, there is no check or impeding of the flow such as occurs where the air and vapor or gas enter from opposite sides and flow in opposite directions.

Butterfly valves 32 are mounted in the passages 24 and 26 respectively and are operated by crank arms 33. They are con nected together by a turn buckle link 34 which may be adjusted in length to cause the valves to move in unison or to have a varying ratio of movement as may be desired.

As shown in Fig. l, the two arms 33 bear like angular relation to their respective valves 32, from which it follows that if the turn-buckle be so adjusted to cause the arms 33 to stand parallel to each other, like movement of said arms will cause like angular movement of the valves and like opening or closing of the ports 2%. and 26. If, however, the adjustment of the turn-buckle be such as to throw the arms 33 out of parallel, the valves 32 will bear different angular relations to their respective ports, and one will begin and complete its closing in advance of the other. For a given angular movement of its arm 33 each valve has its greatest closing effect in moving from a vertical position, or position in axial alinement with the port which it controls, and has a constantly lessening effect as it approaches a plane perpendicular to the axis of its port. It hence results that if the arms 33 and consequently their valves 32 be set out of parallel, simultaneous and equal movement of the arms will produce progressively varying closing effect of each valve considered independently, and also considered in its relation to the other valve. In other words, the effective closing of each will lessen as full closed position is approached, and, owing to their different angular positions, this change will occur earlier with one valve than with the other, and the two valves will hence move at progressively varying rates.

The broad idea of controlling internal combustion engines by varying the quantity and proportions of the charge is well known and the construction here illustrated is chosen merely to show one way of applying the idea to my engine.

In the operation of my engine air is fed to the passage 25 and any suitable combustible gas or vapor is fed to the passage 23. The respective blowers deliver the gas and air under a substantially even and continuous pressure to the ports 30 and 31. Consequently the gas and air enter the cylinder as long as these ports are open, and mix in the cylinder. Where the crank case com pression is used the charge enters in puffs under a rapidly falling impelling pressure so that the scavenging and charge delivery are both inefiicient. Where the air and gas are mixed prior to admission, preignition is rendered more likely. My invention avoids both these difliculties.

Another advantage of the use of separate blowers of the impeller, as contradistinguished from the displacement, type is an automatic partial compensation for variations of thermal value of the gas. Most gases such as producer and blast furnace gases vary in weight in an inverse relation to their heat value. Thus a high B. T. U. 'as will be delivered by a rotary impeller at a slightly lower rate than the somewhat heavier low B. T. U. gas. Obviously the use of separate blowers in my engine tends to produce a compensating action for the variation in heat value of the gas, such as cannot be had with a single blower handling an air and gas mixture, or with displacement pumps whose delivery is not in any sense affected by changes of the weight of the gas.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In combination with an internal combustion engine of the two stroke cycle type, provided with individual ports for gas and for air at one side of the cylinder, and with an exhaust port at the opposite side; two rotary impeller pumps, one connected to feed the gas inlet port and the other to feed the air inlet port; and connections for driving said pumps in unison.

2. In combination with an internal combustion engine of the two stroke cycle type, provided with individual inlet ports for gas and for air, opening into the cylinder at one side thereof and arranged in alternation, and with an exhaust port opening out of the opposite side of said cylinder; two rotary impeller umps, one connected to feed the gas inlet ports and the other to feed the air inlet ports; two valves, one interposed between the air-forcing pump and the inlets which it supplies, and the other interposed between the gas-forcing pump and the inlets which it supplies; and means for simultaneously actuating both said valves.

3. In combination with an internal com bustion engine of the two stroke cycle type, provided with individual inlet ports for gas and for air, opening into the cylinder at one side thereof and arranged in alternation, and with an exhaust port opening out of the opposite side of said cylinder; a piston fashioned to direct the infiowing gas and air toward the cylinder head; two rotary impeller pumps, one connected to feed the gas inlet ports and the other to feed the air inlet ports; two valves, one interposed be tween the air-forcing pump and the inlets which it supplies, and the other interposed between the gas-forcing pump and the inlets which it supplies; and means for simultaneously actuating both said valves.

4:. In combination with an internal combustion engine of the two stroke cycle type, provided with individual inlet ports for gas and for air arranged in alternation and opening into one side of the cylinder, and

with an exhaust port opening from the opposite side of the cylinder; a piston fashioned to direct the inflowing gas and air toward the cylinder head; two rotary impeller pumps, one connected to feed the gas inlet ports and the other to feed the air inlet ports; two valves, one interposed between the air-forcing pump and the air inlets, and the other between the gas-forcing pump and the gas inlets; connecting means between said valves for varying their relative angular adjustment; and a single means for simultaneously actuating both said valves.

5. An internal combustion engine of the two stroke cycle type comprising, in combination, a cylinder having at one side individual inlet ports for gas and for air, and at the opposite side an exhaust port; two rotary impeller pumps, one connected to feed the gas inlet port and the other to feed the air inlet port; connections for driving said pumps in unison; two valves, one interposed between the air-forcing pump and the air inlet of the cylinder, and the other between the gas-forcing pump and the gas inlet of the cylinder; connecting means between said valves for varying their relative angular adjustment; and means for simultaneously moving said valves when adjusted.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES C. WIOKWIRE. 

